There are so many unique ways to earn online these days, some work and some are just fraudulent activities people get into in an attempt to still make money! Freelancing though, is an established way of earning online and a lot of people make a living freelancing. All you have to do is get up in the morning and work from home even while you’re still in your pajamas! People enjoy freelancing because of the many benefits it brings, the freedom it gives them and the feeling of being your own boss.
Though a unique way of earning, getting started in freelancing can be hectic and frustrating for some people. If you are planning on becoming a freelancer but find the procedures challenging, no need to worry anymore, in this article, we will go in-depth into freelancing, how to start, the different sites available and how to earn money from it!
WHAT IS FREELANCING?
But, before we go any further, let’s know what we are talking about here, what is online freelancing and what are freelancer jobs? Freelancing is when someone isn’t committed to an employer or organization but instead is self-employed and earn money by working online on different freelancing sites or on freelance jobs, using their unique skills and expertise on a particular area to earn. Freelancers work independently or use professional associations or websites to get jobs.
Advantages of freelancing
You’re the boss: As a freelancer, you choose your schedule, rates, and which clients or jobs you want totake. You could decide to work in your pajamas, shirt, suit or anyway you like. Why? Because you’re your own boss.
Less Taxes: Freelancers can take advantage of less tax deductions on income, property, and more. Since you would not own large properties or hire a large workforce, you may not need to pay a lot compared to your bigger counterparts.
More money: Freelancing is of high risk but also of high reward. Your salary is whatever you want it tobe. It all comes down to how much you charge, who your clients are and how often you want to work.
You have a better work-life balance. Instead of struggling every day to work, you can simply take a strollaround your neighborhood. When freelancing, you can work whenever you want and live wherever you want.
Disadvantages of freelancing
You handle everything: You have to make all the decisions and do all the work, from bookkeeping tomanaging cash flow to selling your services. Everything is on you and have to handle it all perfectly or risk mismanaging your business.
You have to organize your own benefits, taxes, and accounting:Freelancers don’t have employees to manage and provide benefits, taxes, and the like. They have to do it themselves with the help of tools or guides, using these avenues to get their task done correctly.
No work, no pay: Sure, as a freelancer, you can take a three-week vacation, but you won’t make any money while you’re gone. As a freelancer, your time is quite literally money. The more you work, the more you earn, and if you don’t work at all, you earn nothing.
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED FREELANCING?
Now that we have a bit of knowledge about what freelancing is, how do you get started working as a freelancer and start earning money online? There are different freelancing sites available that you can sign up on and start your freelancing journey, each of this site comes with their own benefits and disadvantages and we will be highlighting each of them accordingly.
1) FIVERR
One of the most popular freelancing sites available, Fiverr is a global online marketplace offering tasks and services and it is very easy to make money from fiverr, you can offer services beginning at a cost of $5 per job performed. It is a unique site that you can easily get started on and is best suited for freelancers who are just starting out and have not yet built a solid portfolio around their skills and expertise. You can easily make money from fiverr if your services are excellent and of high quality.
Fiverr is completely different from other freelancing sites available because unlike other freelance companies—where buyers post jobs and freelancers bid to compete—on Fiverr, the freelancers are a bit in charge. The freelancers list the services they render and then wait to be approached by potential buyers.
Here is a list of services you can offer on fiverr:
- Transcription services
- Proofreading & Editing.
- Designing of E-book Covers.
- Writing articles and content for blogs and websites.
- Virtual assistance.
- Translation work
- Graphics design
The list of services available on fiverr are so many, and these are just some of them, with so many services available, it is easy to make money on fiverr.
How do you get paid?
Getting paid on fiverr is easy considering they have different payment methods available. You can be paid using Payoneer or Paypal, and since Payoneer and Fiverr are partner companies, withdrawing using Payoneer would be very easy. And if you get a Payoneer card, you can link it to your Fiverr account and it’ll become your fiverr revenue card, making withdrawals much easier as you can withdraw from any ATM point worldwide!
2) UPWORK
Here is
another popular freelancing site, Upwork is a global freelancing site that
offers different task and services which freelancers can easily handle.
Although a top Fiverr competitor, Upwork
acceptance standards are a bit more difficult and involve some quality checks to ensure their freelancers are of high standards. Upwork has over twelve million registered freelancers, and over five million registered clients. Over three million jobs are posted on a yearly basis, with a worth totaling over $1 billion, making it one of the largest freelancer marketplaces along with Fiverr.
On Upwork, you can render services that include:
- Typing jobs
- Proofreading,
- Graphics design,
- Programming,
- Video editing, etc.
The good thing about Upwork is that you can charge clients on an hourly rate, which can potentially increase your revenue and make it easy to start making money on upwork.
Unlike Fiverr though, on Upwork, buyers post a request about the services they need and the freelancers bid on those requests, once the buyer finds a freelancer he is willing to work with, he accepts the bid and they start working together.
How do you get paid on Upwork?
You can withdraw your funds from Upwork using any of their supported payment options. Which are: Payoneer, Direct to Local Bank, ACH Direct Deposit, Wire Transfer, PayPal, and M-Pesa. If you own a Payoneer account and possess their card, you can still use it here to receive payments.
3) PEOPLEPERHOUR
Peopleperhour is a freelancing site that has been around for a very long time and although a UK based freelancing site, it commands thousands of clients worldwide and keeps growing every year. It is completely free to register and start selling on PPH. However, before you are allowed to sell, you must undergo a quality check that is carried out to ensure their freelancers are of high quality.
If as a buyer, you are looking for quality in a freelancer, PPH will be a good choice as their vetting process are better than that of fiverr and you’ll be sure of getting a skilled freelancer. Although of high standards, their vetting process isn’t as difficult as that of TopTal or Fiverr Pro so if you possess the necessary skills and are sure of providing quality services, then you have nothing to fear as you’ll be easily accepted.
How do you get paid on PPH?
Once you’ve earned some money from completed jobs, you can withdraw your funds from your PPH wallet using any of the supported payment methods available which includes: PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer, Payoneer and Skrill. With PPH, their withdrawal is easy and you can easily get your funds from them.
4) TOPTAL
TopTal has
been on the web since 2010 and keeps growing in the freelancing business. It is
one of the best site available if you’re looking for or want to be listed among
the very best freelancers in the world. TopTal, as signified by their name, is
a freelance company dedicated only to recruiting the
top talents from around the world. A talented network of developers, designers, and financial experts from all over the world are welcome to sign up with TopTal but must be ready to face stern competition as their application process is very challenging.
To be able to get accepted here, you have to possess unique skills and abilities and be ready to face stern competition as TopTal mentioned that out of all their applicants, in the end only 3% gets accepted! This is to ensure that their buyers get the best freelancers available without having to worry about the quality of work they’ll receive.
If you are sure of your ability and know that you possess unique skills, you can still try them out because no matter how difficult their vetting process is, if you have the required skills, in the end you’ll still get accepted no matter the competition or tests.
How do you get paid on TopTal?
With TopTal, you can get paid through the following options:
- Bank transfer
- Paypal
- Wire transfer
- FREELANCER
Freelancer is a popular freelancing site that is similar to Upwork but has an easy to use platform that makes it easy for freelancers to connect with their clients. Just like Upwork, Freelancer is a global crowdsourcing marketplace, which allows potential employers to post jobs that freelancers can then bid to complete.
Freelancer creates an astounding platform for employers and employees to be able to reach each other easily and faster, and with them, you can easily take skill test to boost your portfolio and increase your clients too.
How do you get paid on Freelancer?
You can easily withdraw your money from freelancer using any of their accepted payment methods, which are; PayPal, Skrill, Wire Transfer, and Freelancer Debit Card (If you have a Payoneer card, you can use it here).
Earning from freelancing might seem like a daunting task at first, but if you are determined and ready to succeed, you’ll be earning consistently from it soon. You can easily choose any of the sites provided here and get started in your freelancing journey and with determination and zeal, nothing will stop you from succeeding in this journey!
